A miniscule bit of growth last November is unlikely to save us from a recession this year January 18, 2023 Whichever way you cut it, the UK is on the brink of a recession. A small boost in growth at the end of last year won't alleviate the cost-of-living crisis and inflation, writes Paul Ormerod
Brits’ take home pay still falling rapidly despite record wage rises January 17, 2023 Brits are suffering one of the sharpest hits to their take home pay despite businesses handing workers bumper pay prices, official figures out today reveal. Real pay tumbled 2.6 per cent over the three months to November, among the steepest drops seen outside the Covid-19 crisis, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]
House builder Crest Nicholson reports mixed fortunes with completions up but post-tax profits dented by uncertainty January 17, 2023 British housebuilding firm Crest Nicholson reported an uptick in revenue and completed homes last year despite continued disruption and pressure to supply chains. The firm’s revenue up until October 2022 was up 16 per cent to £913.6m, up from £786m in the pandemic-affected 2021 report. Home completions also increased by 13.6 per cent to 2,734, [...]
To withstand future recessions, the UK needs radical supply side reform January 17, 2023 When academics write essays, they begin with an abstract that captures the causes, effects and outcomes of the economic policy change they are examining. Boosting the supply side has a pretty simple argument. Either increasing the volume or productivity of resources used to produce things makes a country richer. That’s it. Let’s take a look [...]
We need a Swedish-style civic duty to stop division being baked into our politics for good January 17, 2023 Brexit, immigration, the cost-of-living crisis. All of these are issues which have divided the British public, now we need to find a way to bring people together.
Smartphones are the new laptops with 60 per cent of UK firms now mobile only – BT January 16, 2023 Almost 60 per cent of business owners now rely solely on using mobile phones to run their operations, telecoms giant BT has revealed. The investigation by BT business showed more than half of entrepreneurs have embraced flexible working, and use mobiles rather than laptops or desktops. According to BT 59 per cent of British business [...]
Matalan deal done but founder Hargreaves won’t be coming back January 16, 2023 A long-awaited debt-for-equity swap which will save retailer Matalan has been confirmed – but founder John Hargreaves, who has been around the business for forty years, will not be part of the new management structure. Hargreaves had tried to put a bid together with Elliot Advisers to take over the business. But a host of [...]
Brits switch to social media for music as concerts go meta, says Brit Awards sponsor Mastercard January 16, 2023 Younger Brits are more likely to get their music recommendations from social media with TikTok and Instagram the most popular platforms. According to a new report by Mastercard 56 per cent of those aged 16-24 found their favourite music online. The report by the Brits Awards sponsor claims social media is overtaking physical concerts and [...]
Davos: Energy prices will remain above pre-Covid levels but they will be less volatile says Equinor boss January 16, 2023 The boss of one of one of the world’s largest energy companies has warned that high energy prices are here to stay. Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor – which is bigger than BP, made his comments ahead of the Davos World Economic Forum conference in Switzerland. Opedal, who was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today [...]
Saving: Reforms needed to extend benefits of UK tax breaks beyond wealthier ‘top 10 per cent’ January 16, 2023 A shake-up of incentives to help people save is needed to help more households build resilience against financial shocks, according to a think tank. The struggle to save is a particular problem for low to middle-income households, with those in the bottom half of the income distribution typically having £3,000 of savings per adult, the [...]